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While you can question the motivation, you can't question the effort the Minnesota Twins Front Office is putting into getting fans to return to Target Field in 2026. After significantly reducing the price of the Twins Pass and announcing a buy two, get one free “Triple Play Bundle”, they have released an impressive lineup of promotions for the season. The headliner (at least for those of age and like to participate in such activities) is the expansion of the pre-game happy hour to include Friday and Saturday games. Fans can enjoy $2 beers from the time the gates open to the scheduled first pitch (emphasis on “scheduled” meaning it's not when the first pitch is thrown…sorry, no getting tanked for cheap when game starts are delayed). On Friday games, fans of any age can consume hot dogs and “snacks” at $2 an item. Another recurring promotion that will surely be popular amongst the under “12 & under” crowd (as well as the pocketbooks of the adults accompanying them) is the free kids ice cream and half-price kid meals on Sunday contests. Of course, these matinees have historically been “Kids Day” at Target Field where they will also have the opportunity to run the bases following the game. The Twins, though, are just getting started - they also announced upwards of 50 additional giveaways and theme nights across the 81 game home season. The highlight giveaway for me is the Kirby Puckett jersey giveaway when the Twins host the Athletics on Saturday, July 25th. Additional fan favorites include bobble heads and another replica jersey, which are listed below: May 16 (vs. MIL): Grogu Bobblehead via a Star Wars ticket package June 6 (vs. KC): Royce Lewis Jersey giveaway June 27 (vs. COL): Buxton Bobblehead giveaway The remaining promotions are nothing to sleep on. Below is a list of the giveaways that require you to be one of the first 5-10 thousand fans through the gates: April 3 (vs. TB): Opening Day Beanie April 5 (vs. TB): Kids Opening Day Beanie April 7 (vs. DET): Magnetic Schedule May 2 (vs. TOR): Minnesota Twins Fishing Lure June 22 (vs. LAD): Native American Heritage Night Jersey June 23 (vs. LAD): Night Light July 11 (vs. LAA): Twins Hall of Fame Pin July 12 (vs. LAA): Beach Tote Bag July 26 (vs. ATH): Back to School Lunch Bag August 16 (vs. PHI): Back to School Backpack August 30 (vs. CWS): Kids T.C. Bear Shoulder Mascot September 26 (vs. TEX): Fan Appreciation Hat September 27 (vs. TEX): Kids Appreciation Widget Baseball Hat But wait, there's more! As has been the case for awhile now, the Twins have an every growing array of special ticket package promotions. Most notably (for anyone who plans to subscribe to Twins.TV anyway), is Twins.TV Night on Wednesday, April 8th against the Detroit Tigers. If you purchase the special ticket package not only do you get into the game, but also included is a subscription to Twins.TV, "a behind-the-scenes exclusive look at what brings broadcasts to life", and a broadcaster meet and greet. Other “get a ticket, get an item” special ticket package promotions include: April 28 (vs. SEA): University of St. Thomas Night May 1 (vs. TOR): First Responders Night May 2 (vs. TOR): Mental Health Awareness Day May 3 (vs. TOR): Cancer Awareness Day May 12 (vs. MIA): Bark at the Park May 13 (vs. MIA): Nurses Night May 17 (vs. MIL): Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Day May 19 (vs. HOU): Wine Women & Baseball, St. Cloud State Night June 2 (vs. CWS): CSB+SJU Night June 4 (vs. KC): Prince Night June 5 (vs. KC): Pop Star Night, University of Minnesota Night, Golf Night June 7 (vs. KC): Pixar Night June 12 (vs. STL): Pride Night June 14 (vs. STL): Barbie Game Day, Winona State Night June 23 (vs. LAD): Gustavus Night June 24 (vs. LAD): St. Olaf Night June 27 (vs. COL): Girl Scout Night June 28 (vs. COL): Wine Women & Baseball July 10 (vs. LAA): Yacht Rock Night, Bowling Day July 24 (vs. ATH): South Dakota State University Night July 26 (vs. ATH): Hello Kitty Day July 28 (vs. KC): Wine Women & Baseball August 10 (vs. BAL): University of North Dakota Night August 11 (vs. BAL): North Dakota State University Night August 15 (vs. PHI): Field of Dreams Night, University of South Dakota Night August 18 (vs. ATL): Wine Women & Baseball August 28 (vs. CWS): Minnesota State University - Mankato Night, Breck Night August 29 (vs. CWS): SpongeBob Day August 30 (vs. CWS): Peanuts Day August 31 (vs. DET): St. Paul Saints Night September 1 (vs. DET): Bark at the Park September 15 (vs. NYY): Wine Women & Baseball While the product on the field may not be entertaining, many of these promotions might be reason enough to get to Target Field this summer. For additional details, such as whether you need to be the first 5,000 or 10,000 fans, make sure to visit the promotions page on the Twins website! Which promotions are you most excited for? Join the conversation in the comments! View the full article

A few days after pitchers and catchers reported to camp, the Chicago Cubs agreed to a multi-year contract with right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller. This will be Miller's second stint with the Cubs organization, though it will undoubtedly be longer than his cup of coffee with the team in 2021 where he totaled just two innings. Miller has reinvented himself between now, then, and when he (eventually) takes the mound at Wrigley again. Miller was forced to change after 2022. Between 2016 and that season, the former first-round pick battled injuries and ineffectiveness and had been dropped from MLB rotations as a whole. Facing a future where it appeared he would only be MLB depth, toiling away in Triple-A, the hurler underwent some changes in arsenal and arm slot. When the Cubs last saw Miller in their organization, he threw more overhand and featured a fastball-sweeper mix with some cutters thrown in for good measure. His four-seam fastball sat a touch under 94 mph, which was fine for the time, but not a particularly overpowering offering. He struggled to strike hitters out with a K-rate under 13%, and was knocked around to the tune of an ERA over nine during the 2021 season. But that was then, and this is now. 3f8d21c6-5c66799f-47dc5b50-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 The Cubs are hoping that they're signing a version that looks much more like the guy Miller turned into during the 2023 season and beyond. Featuring an arm angle that has dipped over six degrees, Miller is a different beast. The velocity has ticked up, now sitting over 95mph. Coupled with the lower arm slot, the pitch now features more arm-side run. Combined with his new fastball shape is a fun little split-finger that has become the bane of hitters' existences: last year, it sported a batting average against of just .135. Hitters are no longer teeing off Miller; now, they're striking out at a 29% rate (at least, they did in 2025). The reason he has increased his effectiveness is in how these two pitches play off of each other. They have similar induced spin patterns, but offer distinct observed motion (pictured above). This is due to seam-shifted wake, essentially, playing with the grip of the baseball to create added deception. They also work well in terms of location; Miller throws the fastball up while the split finger falls off the table (pictured below). These two pitches make life incredibly difficult for hitters, much more so than Miller's fastball-sweeper combination. Those pitches offered enough distinction on plane for hitters to easily determine what was coming. Now, with seam-shifted wake characteristics creating deception in spin, as well as the pitches working in tandem on the same vertical plane, Miller seems to have finally found the best version of himself. The split-finger is also an important weapon in attacking opposite-handed hitters. The 35-year-old limited left-handed batters to a .233 wOBA last year and just a .139 batting average against. Over his career, Miller has struggled against LHH, so adding a pitch designed specifically to get those kinds of hitters outs helped create such impressive splits. In many ways, Miller has turned into a better version of what Mark Leiter Jr. was with the Cubs — a right-handed pitcher who is particularly useful against lefties. If you're asking yourself "How did the Cubs find such a useful reliever this late into the offseason?", the answer is because Shelby Miller is slated to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season due to Tommy John surgery. Because this is a multi-year contract, this is less of a signing for 2026, but an upside play for 2027. This will allow the Cubs to monitor the rehab process and bring him along within the organization. If it works out, this deal ensures they have a useful bullpen option heading into next year. There's certainly a chance that when he does return to the mound that he's a shell of himself, but with how far TJ-surgery recovery has come, there's a good chance he'll be able to bounce back just fine. This might not change the outlook of the 2026 season, but represents a smart flier for the future. How do you grade the Shelby Miller addition? Are you excited? Do you think this will work out for the Cubs? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

While the Dodgers have decided “No Hay Banda” for their bullpen, the Twins declared, “Silencio!” Why the Dodgers dropped Anthony Banda is only somewhat clear. While there were concerns over the underlying stats, it is more likely that the team thought the $1.625 million settled number for his first year of Arb would be enough to keep other teams from claiming him through waivers—and if not, get something decent in return. After all, the Dodgers cycled through over 40 pitchers last year, and Banda pitched more innings than some of their top starting arms, often in high leverage situations. But for the Twins, this is a no brainer pick up. On the first day of Spring Training, Derek Shelton reminded the media scrum of his familiarity with Banda from his Pittsburgh days and declared him “a bulldog [who is] not afraid of taking the ball.” Drafted in the 10th Round in 2012 by the Milwaukee Brewers, Banda bounced around over ten different minor league systems and a brief major league stint with the Nationals before somehow landing with the Dodgers in a mid-season trade with the Guardians for cash considerations. However, he made an immediate impact thanks to a few adjustments. First, the Dodgers lowered his general arm angle 34 degrees as opposed to 43 in 2023, according to Sam Scherer of Dodgers Digest. But the big difference came on the slider, which runs about 10mph slower than the mid-90s fastball. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Dodgers pitching coach Connor McGuiness decided to change his unorthodox slider grip. Banda’s slider, which took almost 40 inches of vertical drop over the last two seasons, ranked only below a few elite arms like Josh Hader, and made him a devastating lefty tool for the eventual World Series winners. During the 2024 postseason run, Banda played critical role after the team's other left handed option, Alex Vesia, got sidelined in the NLCS. Over his ten appearances, Banda allowed only a single run. In 2025, Banda posted a 3.18 ERA over 64.2 IP last year, appearing in a 70 different games. While he held a 3.34 FIP against lefties, Righties managed a brutal 5.54 FIP. Banda posted one of the worst walk rates in baseball last year, which will need to be fixed. But even when Banda struggled, he was still one of the most central players for a team whose bullpen looked cooked. As high profile arms like Blake Trienen and Tanner Scott struggled, David Roberts trusted Banda to make almost daily appearances; he received the call three straight days in a row, multiple times throughout the season. Half his appearances came in either high or medium leverage, and others were often because no other trusted arms were available to throw. His numerous appearances netted a 1.2 WPA, only second behind Vesia for the bullpen. Banda’s 2025 postseason did not go as expected—his match-up against Addison Barger in Game 1 of the World Series led to the first even pinch-hit grand slam, which cooked any stats you might see—but the stuff is still there. If anything, the Dodgers may have overused his slider in 2025. Getting the fastball and sinker back into place could make him a critical piece. And in a team that needs elite arms, Banda has proved his stuff is there. Banda carried the Dodgers bullpen at times over their two first runs. Now they think he won’t prove useful in the threepeat. At 32, he comes in with more experience than most of the arms and can prove his worth. Under Pete Maki, it would not be unexpected to see the Twins either turn him into a fireman for jams in the mid-innings, or even as an eighth inning man. Either way, Banda feels like the first real piece to cement the next steps of the bullpen. View the full article

Just four days after creating a vacuum at third base by trading Caleb Durbin, the Milwaukee Brewers have theoretically plugged that hole via free agency. Luis Rengifo, a versatile defender who stole 24 bases in a limited 2024 season, has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Crew, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The deal, which is currently unofficial and pending a physical, includes a $10 million mutual option for 2027. Rengifo, a top outside candidate to fill the void left by the Durbin deal, immediately vaults to the top of the depth chart at third base, a position he has played 199 times at the MLB level. A former Los Angeles Angel, Rengifo was having a breakthrough 2024, posting a .300/.347/.417 slash line with those 24 steals to go along with nine homers and 30 RBIs in 78 games. Then, he injured his right wrist in early July. He tried to come back, but lasted just nine games before requiring season-ending surgery. The versatile infielder, who turns 29 on Feb. 26, came back in 2025 and had a subpar showing for the last-place Angels, putting up a slash line of .238/.287/.335 with nine homers, 43 RBIs and 10 steals in 147 games, below his career marks of .250/..307/.382. He split 2025 between second and third base, playing in 76 games at the hot corner, committing two errors in 146⅓ innings. The switch-hitting Rengifo does hit left-handed pitchers better than right-handers, registering a .268/.311/.438 slash line with 23 homers in 349 career games vs. southpaws, while owning a .242/.305/.360 mark with 39 homers in 619 games against righties. David Hamilton, a former Brewers prospect who was part of the Durbin trade, was the leading candidate to start at third, but now is the top choice to fill the role vacated by Andruw Monasterio's inclusion in this week's trade as the main utility man on the roster. View the full article

Just four days after creating a vacuum at third base by trading Caleb Durbin, the Milwaukee Brewers have theoretically plugged that hole via free agency. Luis Rengifo, a versatile defender who stole 24 bases in a limited 2024 season, has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Crew, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The deal, which is currently unofficial and pending a physical, includes a $10 million mutual option for 2027. Rengifo, a top outside candidate to fill the void left by the Durbin deal, immediately vaults to the top of the depth chart at third base, a position he has played 199 times at the MLB level. A former Los Angeles Angel, Rengifo was having a breakthrough 2024, posting a .300/.347/.417 slash line with those 24 steals to go along with nine homers and 30 RBIs in 78 games. Then, he injured his right wrist in early July. He tried to come back, but lasted just nine games before requiring season-ending surgery. The versatile infielder, who turns 29 on Feb. 26, came back in 2025 and had a subpar showing for the last-place Angels, putting up a slash line of .238/.287/.335 with nine homers, 43 RBIs and 10 steals in 147 games, below his career marks of .250/..307/.382. He split 2025 between second and third base, playing in 76 games at the hot corner, committing two errors in 146⅓ innings. The switch-hitting Rengifo does hit left-handed pitchers better than right-handers, registering a .268/.311/.438 slash line with 23 homers in 349 career games vs. southpaws, while owning a .242/.305/.360 mark with 39 homers in 619 games against righties. David Hamilton, a former Brewers prospect who was part of the Durbin trade, was the leading candidate to start at third, but now is the top choice to fill the role vacated by Andruw Monasterio's inclusion in this week's trade as the main utility man on the roster. View the full article

John Bonnes has arrived in Florida! After a couple of days in Twins camp, Lou Hennessy and Bonnes discuss some of the early talking points surrounding the Twins. Listen using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twins-off-daily-podcast/id1741266056 Listen using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tb78XlurcPTYYSsARdbD7 Listen using iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-twins-off-daily-podcas-167548600/ Listen using Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nvclbt0w Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinsdaily View the full article

The Houston Astros are looking for a left-handed hitting outfielders and a backup catcher. The Minnesota Twins have both as expendable options in Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, and possibly Ryan Jeffers. Should they kick the tires on third base Isaac Paredes? If so, what does that mean for Royce Lewis? View the full article

Marlins right-hander Chris Paddack speaks to the media following his first day of spring training workouts. Paddack hopes his new club can help with the missing parts of his game.View the full article

The Chicago Cubs have made yet another addition to their bullpen this offseason, this time bringing in veteran reliever Shelby Miller on a multi-year contract as reported by FanSided's Robert Murray. Miller, 35, is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He pitched brilliantly for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first half of last year (1.98 ERA in 36 1/3 innings) before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He made just two appearances for the Crew before being shut down. The right-hander joins Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Jacob Webb, and Hoby Milner as new additions to the team's bullpen this winter. More to come... View the full article

The Twins have no shortage of starting pitching depth. Behind Lopez, Ryan, and Ober, the last two rotation spots have yet to be determined. From inexperienced and high upside options like Mick Abel to experienced pitchers like Taj Bradley, who has made 75 starts in his career already, the Twins will have to choose who heads north with the two remaining rotation spots. Simeon Woods Richardson should already be penciled in for one of them. Simeon Woods Richardson's resume to this point in his career may not be that of a high-end starting pitcher, but it's more than good enough to have earned a spot at the back end of an MLB rotation. With a 4.21 ERA across 254 innings, Richardson has had his fair share of struggles but has also helped keep the Twins' pitching staff afloat at times. He's also shown an ability to adjust, most recently by adding a splitter to his arsenal, which became arguably his most effective pitch last season. He seemed to find something at the end of 2025, allowing two runs in his last three starts and striking out 23 hitters in his last 17 innings. He's already shown that he's a capable back-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. Though he lacks the excitement of Zebby Matthews or David Festa, Woods Richardson is only a few months older than these two despite a much longer track record of better performance. Roster flexibility has to be a major consideration, and Simeon Woods Richardson is out of minor league options. Assuming he isn't traded, he will make the Opening Day roster. Unlike many other rotation candidates, the Twins can't stash him in St. Paul to await a future opening in the rotation. He needs to break camp with the team either in the rotation or in the bullpen. The latter seems like an odd fit. While we've seen recent success with the Twins moving starting pitchers to the bullpen and turning them into impact relievers, it's worth wondering how well-suited Woods Richardson is to this path. He doesn't get outs in a way that would traditionally project a step-up in performance in shorter stints. The repertoire essentially became a four-pitch mix in 2025 as he scrapped his changeup for what was a dominant splitter. His new pitch drew whiffs at a 32.7% rate and was nearly unhittable with a .168 xwOBA allowed. His slider was his second-best pitch in terms of whiffs and quality of contact allowed. Unfortunately, it would take an enormous leap in fastball performance to see it all come together in a bullpen role. His heater graded out at 83 in the Stuff+ metric, where 100 is average. This is despite the pitch averaging a career-high 93.1 mph. The Twins have a long list of young pitchers who could profile as a much-needed high-leverage reliever. Simeon Woods Richardson is toward the bottom of that list without an intriguing fastball. We've seen the Twins choose to keep young, optionable pitchers in Triple-A to begin the season, instead trusting more experienced, known commodities. We should expect them to do so again. Instead of low ceiling, short-term fillers like J.A. Happ, Matt Shoemaker, etc., who we’ve seen them roll with in the past, they would be doing the same with 25-year-old Simeon Woods Richardson this time. With team control through 2030, what would be considered the “least exciting” option for the back end of the rotation would come with plenty of upside. It may be a different conversation if Zebby Matthews or David Festa had put together more success in their careers thus far, or if another pitcher with more perceived upside was also out of options. The truth is that Simeon Woods Richardson can easily be argued as the safest choice for an open rotation spot on a team that will need every win they can get. Awarding him the job allows the team to maintain maximum starting pitching depth, with his potential competition being stashed at St. Paul to be called up at a moment's notice. He's also performed better than anyone else in this group across a much larger sample size than most. While it's easy to get excited about some of the new or up-and-coming arms in the system, Simeon Woods Richardson remains the best option to fill one of the two remaining rotation spots. Do you agree? View the full article

Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough informed right-hander Sandy Alcantara on Friday morning that he will be the club's Opening Day starter again in 2026. The Marlins will host the Colorado Rockies at loanDepot park on March 26. Alcantara has been on the mound for Opening Day in each of the last seven seasons with the exception of 2024, which he missed while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He already held the franchise record with five career Opening Day starts; health permitting, he will do it for the sixth time exactly six weeks from now. The Marlins released a video of McCullough in his Jupiter Academy office delivering the news to Alcantara. In response, the 30-year-old said he is "super excited about another opportunity to be on the mound for the Marlins. I'm very happy." n64CV1R5FHQK5u0i.mp4 The Marlins have a 2-3 record in Alcantara's previous Opening Day starts. Most recently against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025, he carried a shutout into the fifth inning and received a no-decision in what was ultimately a walk-off win. Player Date Team Opp Result IP H R ER UER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF Sandy Alcantara 2020-07-24 MIA @ PHI W, 5-2 6.2 3 2 1 1 1 2 0 7 0 0 0 24 Sandy Alcantara 2021-04-01 MIA TBR L, 0-1 6.0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 7 1 0 0 23 Sandy Alcantara 2022-04-08 MIA @ SFG L, 5-6 (10) 5.0 3 3 2 1 1 5 0 4 0 0 0 21 Sandy Alcantara 2023-03-30 MIA NYM L, 3-5 5.2 3 3 3 0 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 23 Sandy Alcantara 2025-03-27 MIA PIT W, 5-4 4.2 2 2 2 0 0 4 0 7 0 0 0 20 Colorado's projected rotation consists of Kyle Freeland, Michael Lorenzen, José Quintana, Chase Dollander and Tomoyuki Sugano. Freeland, like Alcantara, is a longtime member of his organization who despite coming off an uneven 2025 season—4.98 ERA and 4.18 FIP in 162 ⅔ innings pitched—would be the logical candidate to start their season opener. The left-hander has handled that assignment four previous times in his career. View the full article

The San Diego Padres' bullpen should be one of the best units in MLB in 2026. If you are a fan of relievers, you should enjoy this group. Last year, while ranking 10th in innings pitched, the Friars finished first in opponent batting average (.209) and WHIP (1.15) and second in strikeouts. Walks were a bit of an issue as the Padres finished 19th, but this was a wholly dominant crew of late-inning firemen. Despite the loss of closer Robert Suarez to free agency, the Friars shouldn't miss a beat as Mason Miller, acquired at the trade deadline, takes over in that role. Relievers tend to be the difference-makers during a season. and the Padres will rely on their bullpen to again be the bedrock of the team. Breaking Down Every Reliever in Padres' Bullpen Who Was Scheduled to Come Back? Pretty much everyone, aside from Suarez, of course. The only subtraction was right-hander Sean Reynolds, who was non-tendered after a rough 19 appearances in 2025. Joining Miller in this year's bullpen are left-handers Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta and Yuki Matsui, as well as right-handers Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, David Morgan, Bradgley Rodriguez, Jhony Brito and Ron Marinaccio. There is quality wherever you look, but the focus of this year's relievers will be Miller, the latest in a line of very good or great Padres closers. As Miller showed in the NL Wild Card Series versus the Cubs, he can unleash some of the most wicked stuff in all of MLB. Suarez was really good as the Friars' closer the last two years, converting 76 of 87 save chances. While not having as many opportunities with the A's, Miller has converted 50 of 57 in his brief career. He struck out an amazing 44..4% of hitters last season, including 54.2% with the Padres, more than twice the MLB average of 22.5%. But he also walked 12% of hitters, worse than the league average (8.4%). Combined with Morejon at the back end, the Friars will be just fine for any late-game situation. Two players to watch coming back from injury are Adam and Brito. Adam ruptured a quad tendon in September, which required surgery. At the time, it was expected he would start this season on the injured list, but with a potential April return. Brito had an internal brace procedure on his right elbow and a flexor tendon repair last April, so late May or perhaps early June is the earliest expectation for his return. Who Was Added? Without much need in the offseason, the Friars made two small 40-man moves, signing right-handers Daison Acosta and Ty Adcock. The 27-year-old Acosta has yet to make his MLB debut, spending the last two seasons in the Washington Nationals' organization, so he is likely to be a depth option who opens the season at Triple-A El Paso. That would be a similar scenario for Adcock, who just turned 29 but does have 18 games of MLB experience over the last three seasons, six with the New York Mets in 2024 and 2025 and 12 with the Seattle Mariners in 2023. Candidates to Join the Bullpen? Other relievers on the 40-man are right-handers Alek Jacob, Bryan Hoeing and Garrett Hawkins. Jacob was a 16th-round draft choice in 2021 who made his MLB debut in 2023 and made 29 appearances in 2025, yet posted a 5.90 FIP. Hoeing has been decent in 25 relief appearances for the Padres over the last two years after coming over from the Miami Marlins in the Tanner Scott trade. Hoeing does have 10 MLB starts with the Marlins, so you wonder if the Friars stretch him out this spring due to the lack of rotation depth. Hawkins was a ninth-round draft pick of the Padres in 2021 and made it up to Double-A San Antonio in 2025, appearing in 13 games. That was his first season back since Tommy John surgery in 2023. Among prospects, right-hander Francis Pena is the top candidate to make the team, having pitched all of 2025 at Triple-A El Paso, but struggling with control (34 walks in 52⅓ innings). The Bottom Line As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Padres should have one of the best bullpens in all of MLB in 2026. There is depth and versatility. The depth could be very important as the thin starting rotation could lead to more innings for this group. That could lead to some opportunities for the depth pieces who will begin the season at El Paso. Should the rotation be somewhat stable, opponents will have a difficult time scoring against this relief corps. View the full article

Gabriel Gonzalez was outstanding in 2025, but with how crowded the Twins outfield is, will he earn a promotion to the big leagues this year? In this video, we take a look at his skill set and what to expect in 2026. View the full article

JUPITER, FL—Last spring, Graham Pauley was easy to overlook in Miami Marlins camp. Although he posted a solid slash line of .286/.355/.429/.784 in exhibition games and ultimately made the Opening Day roster, Pauley wasn't thought of as a key piece of the team's long-term plan. That perception change towards the end of the 2025 season. In his final 34 games, Pauley slashed .238/.358/.450/.808 with four home runs and six RBI. Throughout the season overall, he posted plus-six outs above average and plus-three defensive runs saved in 52 games at third base. "I think the defense took a big step from where I've been in the past," Pauley told Fish On First in an exclusive interview. "I think going into this spring, I was able to build up to some stuff in the offseason and continue to work at that. I think the defense is in a great spot and then offensively, I felt like I did a lot of good things to my swing. Just looking back at the second half of last year, I think I've worked on a lot of stuff and then continue to build on that and hopefully have success." Following the season, Pauley trained at Movement Performance and Sports Medicine in Atlanta and made plenty of changes, including in his setup where he is "starting the hands a bit lower." That leads to a more vertical swing, "allowing me to create more space and stay more towards the pitcher with all my force, instead of just turning off balls and being late." "Also just how my bat's going to the zone," said Pauley. "I feel like my bat is starting in the zone and also going a lot further, allowing me to get to more pitches and stay on pitches for longer. I think those are gonna help with time. I took some at-bats before coming here, and then we'll get a bunch here, so it'll be good to work on that kind of approach in spring training." Pitchers and catchers reported to the Jupiter Academy on Wednesday. Pauley is at camp early along with them as he has to compete for the third base job, but comes into camp with "a little more confidence." "Coming in this year, I feel a lot more ready to just compete early on in spring and really focusing in on those games, treating them just like a real game as much as possible and put good at-bats together and play good defense." Pauley received an extended opportunity at the major league level because Connor Norby was sidelined by various injuries. He will be fighting for the starting third base job as well. Pauley's attention is only on controlling what he can control. "Just come in here and work on the stuff I've been working on the offseason," Pauley said. "Did the work with some of the new hitting and infield coaches, so decided to work with those guys and not put too much pressure or anything on anything. Just go out there, compete, have fun, and continue to work on that stuff." Towards the end of the 2025 season, the Marlins experimented with Pauley by playing him at first base for five games (three starts). "I think I'm athletic enough that I can do that without focusing on those other positions," Pauley said. "I think I can just go over there in a pinch, but I think the goal right now is to just focus at third and to get better there." The Marlins' full-squad report date is set for Monday. Principal owner Bruce Sherman and president of baseball operations Peter Bendix will address the local media that morning. View the full article

In the wake of the news that Anthony Santander will undergo shoulder surgery, the Toronto Blue Jays have added a new corner outfielder. The Jays announced this morning that they have traded for Jesús Sánchez, sending Joey Loperfido back to the Houston Astros in return. Sánchez, 28, owns a .727 OPS and 98 wRC+ in 580 career games. Really though, his career numbers don't tell the full story. The lefty-batting Sánchez is a platoon-only hitter who should only face same-handed pitching when there's no other choice. He has been consistently productive against right-handed pitchers, with a career 9.0% walk rate, 24.5% strikeout rate, .198 ISO, and 111 wRC+. As for his numbers against lefty pitching? I think his 41 wRC+ (59% worse than league average) tells you all you need to know. A fine baserunner and a capable defender in the corners, Sánchez has the skills to be Toronto's starting left fielder against right-handed pitching. With that said, he'll have competition from Nathan Lukes, barring another trade. Lukes is another left-handed-hitting corner outfielder, and after Santander's injury, manager John Schneider said he expected Lukes to platoon with the righty-batting Davis Schneider in left field. Lukes does not have nearly as much MLB experience as Sánchez, but his career 109 wRC+ against right-handed pitching is similar to Sánchez's 111 mark. Lukes is probably the stronger fielder, but he's three years older, and the sample his defensive metrics come from is small. Sánchez will make $6.8 million in 2026, and he'll be eligible for arbitration one more time in 2027. Loperfido, 26, came over from Houston at the 2024 trade deadline as part of the haul Toronto received for Yusei Kikuchi. Over his year and a half in the Blue Jays organization, the former top prospect flashed promise but failed to make a significant impact. He will now return to his former club, where he will have an easier path to regular playing time. View the full article

The Houston Astros have been in the rumor mill for the vast majority of the offseason, specifically as teams kick the tires on third baseman Isaac Paredes. Earlier this week, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that the team “is seeking an outfielder who hits from the left side in any potential package for Paredes.” Unless you've been buried under a rock since last year’s trade deadline, you're well aware that the Minnesota Twins have an excessive amount of left-handed hitting outfielders. They have high-value prospects like Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez who will likely debut in 2026. They have middle-of-the-road veterans like Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach, who have some upside but also come with their fair share of warts. They also have lower-value options like James Outman, Alan Roden, and Hendry Mendez, of whom Outman and Roden are ready to compete at the big league level (Outman is actually out of options). Finally, right or wrong, the Twins have an owner who believes they'll be competitive in 2026. While the Twins have a plethora of options to meet the needs of the Astros, you now may be asking yourself, “But isn't Royce Lewis our everyday third baseman?” To which I’d say, “meh, I guess”. While Lewis is penciled in as the team’s primary third baseman in 2026, I simply think he no longer has the leverage to demand where he plays. Additionally, as a client of Scott Boras and someone who has made multiple questionable remarks publicly, I no longer care to try to keep him happy. He's under team control through the 2029 season, and I already think it's a long shot that he re-signs with the Twins without a dramatic turnaround within the clubhouse and organization as a whole. If we turn to the productivity on the field, his inconsistencies at the plate have led to a career .762 OPS and a 110 wRC+, both buoyed by a 2023 breakout. Since the start of 2024, those numbers have dropped to .705 and 94, respectively…I guess you can't call it a slump if that's what you typically produce. Moreover, he's played a passable third base, but not to the point where moving him to second (we’ll get to Luke Keaschall next) would make the infield meaningfully worse than it's already going to be. Simply put, adding Paredes bat to the lineup would more than make up for the downgrade in defense at the hot corner, and it would help Tom Pohlad meet his unrealistic expectations for the 2026 season. Of course, if Lewis shifts to the keystone, then Keaschall gets booted from his primary position. However, there are already questions on whether second base can be his long-term home. While he exploded on the scene at the plate in 2025, he finished T-14th among second basemen with at least 150 attempts with -2 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 2025 (he barely met this threshold with 156 attempts). So, then, where does he go, you ask? To the corner outfield. While his experience was limited to just 173 ⅔ innings across 20 games, Keaschall has patrolled centerfield for both the Double-A Wichita and High-A Cedar Rapids in 2024. In the long run, many baseball minds think he's destined to call the outfield grass his home, and a trade for Paredes could open a spot sooner rather than later. However, a left-handed hitting outfielder is not the only match the Twins have. The Astros have been tied to catchers Joey Bart, Christian Vazquez, and Victor Caratini this offseason to back up Yainer Diaz. While no reports have suggested the Twins are set on moving Ryan Jeffers, the signing of Caratini to a two-year, $14 million deal ahead of Jeffers final year of team control seems to suggest that's a distinct possibility. If they were to move Jeffers, that would make Caratini the primary backstop ahead of Alex Jackson. Paired with one of the mid or low value outfielders named earlier, the Astros could solve both of their needs while giving up Paredes and a mid-level prospect. Again, this is all under the assumption that Pohlad realizes this team, as-is, cannot truly compete in 2026. By acquiring Paredes, the Twins add a reliable bat to an offense that has been anything but. Do you think the Twins can compete in 2026? Do you think they should kick the tires on Paredes? Join the conversation in the comments! View the full article

When the San Diego Padres signed Kyle Hart upon his return from the KBO ahead of 2025, it was a move that wasn’t met with a particular degree of fanfare. The former Boston Red Sox draftee had only appeared in 11 big league innings in the years since his 2016 selection, and the results were relatively uninspiring across his minor-league journey. Nevertheless, the team needed depth on the bump and it arrived in the form of Hart. It’s that very scenario that led to him being back in America’s Finest City ahead of 2026. Hart was able to earn a rotation spot out of camp last year. Save for a six-innings-no-runs-allowed performance against Colorado in April, however, he struggled to maintain his grip on such a role. Five of Hart’s six starts came before the end of the season’s first month, and he went on to make just 20 appearances overall. The results therein were not terrific. He finished with a 5.86 ERA and 5.18 FIP in a year that was indicative of negative value (-0.2 fWAR). He struggled to prevent home runs, with a 13.0 percent rate of flyballs that went over the outfield wall, while neither his strikeout or walk numbers – 20.7 and 7.3 percent, respectively – compensated for that effectively. Even amid such struggles, though, Hart earned a second contract in San Diego. He agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2027. The Padres knew they’d need depth, and Hart will provide it. How much time he actually logs at the top level, however, remains unclear. Kyle Hart’s Stuff Without much velocity of which to speak, Hart is a sweeper-driven pitcher; he threw it 33 percent of the time last season. The pitch was thrown far more to left-handed hitters (43 percent) than righties (29 percent), though. For the latter handedness, he incorporated a changeup at 20 percent of the time (a pitch he threw just a handful of times against lefties). There’s a sinker in the mix as well, with an even 22 percent being thrown to hitters standing in either box. The sweeper and sinker each have their benefits. The sweeper drew whiffs nearly 29 percent of the time last year, and both pitches pinned down opponents’ slugging to under .300. It’s when he begins to graduate outside of his two primary pitches that things start to become problematic. His change, in particular, was touched for a .625 slugging percentage in 2025. Part of Hart’s struggle is that, regardless of pitch, he works high: There’s decent horizontal movement on his two primary pitches. He gets 14.1 inches of horizontal break to his glove side with the sweeper and 16.7 inches of run to his arm side with the sinker. There’s very little vertical drop to speak of across the board, though, which represents a problem for a pitcher who doesn’t work with much velocity. Only his minimally used splitter garners anything in terms of vertical drop. In terms of run value, Hart does get positive results out of each of the sweeper (5) and sinker (2). There’s enough swing-and-miss with the former and effective groundball tendencies wrought by the latter to allow him to work within a framework that can find some success. The issue is when he starts to move outside of his comfort zone with the change and the rest of the crew. None of his other pitches bear a positive run value, with the changeup sitting at -4 on its own. Kyle Hart’s Arsenal There’s an argument to be made that Hart should shift his focus toward more of a two-pitch situation. The results are evident in the sweeper and sinker being effective pitches for him, somewhat courtesy of a lower arm angle. There’s a location factor that at least mildly explains his success as well. Not that Hart’s command is elite, but he’s at least able to utilize those pitches to seek the results that each pitch should, theoretically, see. Such is not the case with the others in his mix. With the changeup, there is an intriguing movement profile, but the results haven’t been remotely steady enough to consider it a factor quite yet. Such an argument exists in a world where Hart ends up as more of a one-inning reliever than even as a long man, let alone a starter. It’s very difficult to find success in volume with only two effective pitches. Unless we see some evolution in the arsenal, though, that may very well be the role for which he’s best-suited. What Should Kyle Hart’s Role Be In 2026? Even with a Padres rotation that sits as shallow as this group ahead of the upcoming season, it’d be really difficult to justify a rotation spot out of the gate for Kyle Hart. You’d even be hard-pressed to find an argument that he’s destined for the bullpen, considering where the rest of the group stands. The relief corps is where the Padres actually have some depth with which to work. Given that, it would appear that Hart’s best shot at regular work within the organization will, once again, come with El Paso. It would at least give him an opportunity to hone the arsenal and discover some command of the secondaries. If he can do that, then there is a path toward contributions at the top level as a backend starter. In the meantime, however, the floor remains simply too low to justify a spot in either the rotation or the bullpen, regardless of how thin the former looks. View the full article

When the San Diego Padres signed Kyle Hart upon his return from the KBO ahead of 2025, it was a move that wasn’t met with a particular degree of fanfare. The former Boston Red Sox draftee had only appeared in 11 big league innings in the years since his 2016 selection, and the results were relatively uninspiring across his minor-league journey. Nevertheless, the team needed depth on the bump and it arrived in the form of Hart. It’s that very scenario that led to him being back in America’s Finest City ahead of 2026. Hart was able to earn a rotation spot out of camp last year. Save for a six-innings-no-runs-allowed performance against Colorado in April, however, he struggled to maintain his grip on such a role. Five of Hart’s six starts came before the end of the season’s first month, and he went on to make just 20 appearances overall. The results therein were not terrific. He finished with a 5.86 ERA and 5.18 FIP in a year that was indicative of negative value (-0.2 fWAR). He struggled to prevent home runs, with a 13.0 percent rate of flyballs that went over the outfield wall, while neither his strikeout or walk numbers – 20.7 and 7.3 percent, respectively – compensated for that effectively. Even amid such struggles, though, Hart earned a second contract in San Diego. He agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2027. The Padres knew they’d need depth, and Hart will provide it. How much time he actually logs at the top level, however, remains unclear. Kyle Hart’s Stuff Without much velocity of which to speak, Hart is a sweeper-driven pitcher; he threw it 33 percent of the time last season. The pitch was thrown far more to left-handed hitters (43 percent) than righties (29 percent), though. For the latter handedness, he incorporated a changeup at 20 percent of the time (a pitch he threw just a handful of times against lefties). There’s a sinker in the mix as well, with an even 22 percent being thrown to hitters standing in either box. The sweeper and sinker each have their benefits. The sweeper drew whiffs nearly 29 percent of the time last year, and both pitches pinned down opponents’ slugging to under .300. It’s when he begins to graduate outside of his two primary pitches that things start to become problematic. His change, in particular, was touched for a .625 slugging percentage in 2025. Part of Hart’s struggle is that, regardless of pitch, he works high: There’s decent horizontal movement on his two primary pitches. He gets 14.1 inches of horizontal break to his glove side with the sweeper and 16.7 inches of run to his arm side with the sinker. There’s very little vertical drop to speak of across the board, though, which represents a problem for a pitcher who doesn’t work with much velocity. Only his minimally used splitter garners anything in terms of vertical drop. In terms of run value, Hart does get positive results out of each of the sweeper (5) and sinker (2). There’s enough swing-and-miss with the former and effective groundball tendencies wrought by the latter to allow him to work within a framework that can find some success. The issue is when he starts to move outside of his comfort zone with the change and the rest of the crew. None of his other pitches bear a positive run value, with the changeup sitting at -4 on its own. Kyle Hart’s Arsenal There’s an argument to be made that Hart should shift his focus toward more of a two-pitch situation. The results are evident in the sweeper and sinker being effective pitches for him, somewhat courtesy of a lower arm angle. There’s a location factor that at least mildly explains his success as well. Not that Hart’s command is elite, but he’s at least able to utilize those pitches to seek the results that each pitch should, theoretically, see. Such is not the case with the others in his mix. With the changeup, there is an intriguing movement profile, but the results haven’t been remotely steady enough to consider it a factor quite yet. Such an argument exists in a world where Hart ends up as more of a one-inning reliever than even as a long man, let alone a starter. It’s very difficult to find success in volume with only two effective pitches. Unless we see some evolution in the arsenal, though, that may very well be the role for which he’s best-suited. What Should Kyle Hart’s Role Be In 2026? Even with a Padres rotation that sits as shallow as this group ahead of the upcoming season, it’d be really difficult to justify a rotation spot out of the gate for Kyle Hart. You’d even be hard-pressed to find an argument that he’s destined for the bullpen, considering where the rest of the group stands. The relief corps is where the Padres actually have some depth with which to work. Given that, it would appear that Hart’s best shot at regular work within the organization will, once again, come with El Paso. It would at least give him an opportunity to hone the arsenal and discover some command of the secondaries. If he can do that, then there is a path toward contributions at the top level as a backend starter. In the meantime, however, the floor remains simply too low to justify a spot in either the rotation or the bullpen, regardless of how thin the former looks. View the full article

Which Royals non-roster invitees could make break out or return to a previous form? In this video, we discuss the upside and contributions of Blake Mitchell, former Royal Jose Cuas, Brandon Drury (who hit over 20 home runs in the big leagues just a couple of years ago), and Eli Morgan. If you enjoy breakdowns like this, make sure to subscribe to Royals Keep on YouTube! View the full article

Which Royals non-roster invitees could make break out or return to a previous form? In this video, we discuss the upside and contributions of Blake Mitchell, former Royal Jose Cuas, Brandon Drury (who hit over 20 home runs in the big leagues just a couple of years ago), and Eli Morgan. If you enjoy breakdowns like this, make sure to subscribe to Royals Keep on YouTube! View the full article

FORT MYERS—There’s a festivity to the day that pitchers and catchers report. It’s not just empty romanticism. The vast majority of the people who have dedicated their lives’ labor to baseball—players, coaches, staff, and yes, even beat writers—love the game, and its return lifts spirits. But it’s also an opportunity to set a tone. The tone new Twins manager Derek Shelton wanted to set was one of intentionality—specifically, intentionally doing the little things, because he’s seen them matter in the biggest moments. He demonstrated that to his players. “Shelton mainly focused on two plays that happened in the playoffs this past year: [pitching defensive plays] that didn’t get done,” pitcher Bailey Ober said when asked about Shelton’s message to the pitchers. “Basically said this can decide games. Here's two examples, on the highest stakes. We’re going to treat Day One and the days going forward like that’s what’s on the line when we’re out there getting outs and fielding our position.” If that sounds old-school, well, that was certainly part of the inspiration. “I had a very strong conversation with a guy whose number is retired at my press conference," said Shelton when asked why he chose to emphasize it on the first day. "It really impacted me. I’m talking about TK [former Twins manager Tom Kelly]. Making sure it was highlighted from the first meeting, the first conversation, the first practice—yeah, I think that kind of took me over the edge. Honestly, I’d be crazy not to take advice that was passionate and heartfelt from someone who loves the Twins, so I kind of took it to heart.” Shelton doesn’t come across as a fire-and-brimstone type. He’s more friendly uncle than drill sergeant. But he also has enough experience to know that over these next few weeks, he has a chance that may not come again: to establish a culture that can lead to success. “I think overall the way we want our culture to be set up—the intentionality—which goes back to the point of how we go about our work,” Shelton said. It’s clear he, at least, is being intentional about this opportunity and his work. New Bullpen Pieces All season long—really, since last season's trade deadline—fans have wondered what the Twins would do to supplement their bullpen. Over the last two days, the Twins have added two experienced veterans to their bullpen picture. On Wednesday, they signed Liam Hendriks, a former All-Star closer coming back from elbow issues, to a minor-league contract. He should arrive in a couple of days, and the Twins say he’s healthy and ready to go. “Everything’s been positive,” Shelton said. “He’s healthy, and he’s in a situation where he’s coming into camp to compete.” Hendriks is also part of Australia’s World Baseball Classic team. They also made a trade Thursday for veteran left-handed reliever Anthony Banda. He likely slots in as the second left-hander in the Twins bullpen, behind Taylor Rogers but ahead of Kody Funderburk. To make room for Banda, the Twins designated Jackson Kowar for assignment. Kowar spoke Thursday morning about how much he liked the situation in camp, especially because his spring-training locker sat next to Ober’s, a friend dating back to high school. Now, the Twins hope he’ll clear waivers and remain in the organization, giving them a chance to see whether a second year removed from Tommy John surgery helps him rediscover the feel for his changeup. Mick Abel’s Control Pitcher Mick Abel, whom the Twins acquired at last year’s trade deadline as part of the Jhoan Duran deal, reestablished himself as a prospect by tackling his biggest issue: command. In 2024, his walk rate was an ugly 5.2 BB/9. Last year, he cut that to 3.7—still a bit high, but playable with his electric stuff. As a result, his ERA dropped from 4.13 to 2.20 over the same span. So what adjustments did he make? Abel insists it was more about the adjustments he didn’t make. “I think a lot of it was confidence-based,” he said. “They just kind of let me loose, and they’re like, ‘Hey, do whatever you need to do. We’re not going to do anything mechanical. We’re not going to do anything with pitches.’ And being able to go through a full offseason of work and not having to think about where my arm is at in my arm motion—I’m like, ‘All right, screw that.’ That’s very gracious. Let me do that, and it’s how it should be.” His plan this year is similar. If he can consistently pitch like he did late last season, including a final start in which he threw six scoreless innings and struck out nine against those same Phillies. there’s at least one rotation spot in camp that is legitimately up for grabs. If You're Here.... If you're lucky and/or smart enough to be attending spring training, one of the Twins' better events is coming up on Monday. On President's Day every year, the Twins open up Hammond Stadium for fans the same day that the hitters show up for spring training. There is a health fair (i.e a chance to get a lot of swag), but it's also a chance to watch the team up close. Kids can play in the outfield in the afternoon. This year, the healthcare fair has a new offering: free EKGs for kids, because Florida now requires them for kids playing athletics. Of course, if you have read Twins Daily's Ultimate Spring Traiing Guide, you already know all about this, as well as the best time to visit, how to interact with the players, and the best breweries in town. Hope to see you here soon. View the full article

After an offseason of much-criticized inactivity, the Twins have spent the last couple weeks making a few more moves. A common thread in the transactions? They all used to play here. Taylor Rogers, Gio Urshela, and Liam Hendriks have all signed deals with the Twins recently. And it appears that might continue. “Basically, we have Minnesota’s Baseball Reference page pulled up, and we’re going season by season to check in on everyone who doesn’t have a current team,” said a front office source with knowledge of the team’s internet history. “We just got to 2018. You wouldn’t happen to have a forwarding address for Robbie Grossman, would you?” Sources say the team hopes to both fill roster gaps and curate some good feelings with an alienated fan base. “There’s someone out there who caught a Darin Mastroianni foul ball, and it was the best moment of his young life,” said a source in the season ticket office. “Now he’s older, he has disposable income, and maybe wants to go out to the yard to see if Darin still has a little gas left in the ol’ tank.” Mastroianni, 40, last played in the majors in 2016. Twins Daily was unable to confirm his current career, but Fangraphs projects him to be either in real estate, coaching, or liquor distribution. While adding position players is nice, the focus for both the team and the fanbase remains the bullpen. “Take a look at the 2013 bullpen,” said the latter source. “Caleb Thielbar is still playing. Ryan Pressly just hung it up. Michael Tonkin pitched for us last year! Glen Perkins works here, I bet he’s got all those guys’ numbers. Heck, I bet ol’ Glen could throw that fastball by a bunch of those young pups.” A spokesperson for Perkins says everything is sore all the time and that Stu should leave him out of his fun comedy bits. View the full article

Minnesota Twins pitchers and catchers reported to camp on Thursday, so spring training is officially on. Position players will trickle in over the weekend leading up to the first full-squad workout next Monday. Exhibition action kicks off with a contest against the Gophers on Friday, February 20th, followed by the first Grapefruit League game against Boston the following day. Coming off a 92-loss season, and a chaotic winter that saw more change off the field than on, expectations are fairly low but uncertainty is running high. The Twins have much to figure out and many questions to answer in the six weeks leading up to Opening Day in Baltimore on March 26th. Key Position Battles Backup SS: Brooks Lee has not proven himself in terms of ability or durability, making this a critical piece of depth. The main contenders are Ryan Kreidler, Tristan Gray and Orlando Arcia, with the latter needing to earn a spot on the 40-man roster. 4th and 5th SP: The three proven veterans — Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober — are locked into the top spots, leaving the bottom of the rotation open for competition. Presumably Simeon Woods Richardson and Taj Bradley are currently stopping the chart, since they've got significantly more experience than the rest of the pack, but guys like Zebby Matthews, David Festa and Mick Abel could shake things up with strong, healthy showings. 4th OF: As things currently stand, Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner appear to be the starting corner outfielders, at least against right-handers. Byron Buxton will of course be in center. The Twins need a player who can back up all three outfield spots, and might have room for only one between Austin Martin, Alan Roden and James Outman. 6th, 7th, 8th RP: The following bullpen spots are more or less claimed, pending health: Cole Sands, Taylor Rogers, Justin Topa, Eric Orze, Anthony Blanda. These are all relatively proven MLB relievers. That leaves three spots up for grabs among a group that includes incumbents Kody Funderburk and Travis Adams, along with numerous NRIs and starters with conversion potential. It's going to be a free-for-all, but situational usage in spring games should give strong indication of who the team favors. Health Situations to Monitor Bailey Ober: His mechanics were a mess last year, which Ober admits was due in part to nagging injury issues. He spent the offseason trying to get right, but his velocity and overall quality of stuff in camp will tell the story. David Festa: His 2025 season ended with a scary diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome, but Festa avoided surgery and supposedly went through a fairly normal offseason. He's a really important part of their pitching plans, whether as starter or reliever, so hopefully the righty is able to quickly put last year's shoulder problems behind him. Cory Lewis: He's in camp as a non-roster invite and looking to put himself on the MLB relief radar, but Lewis and his intriguing knuckleball will be slowed out of the gate by a "moderate subscap" (shoulder) issue, keeping him down for at least the first two weeks. Matt Canterino: Recovering from shoulder surgery, Canterino is not expected to pitch this spring, but he's still in camp, soaking everything in. It's been a hell of a road for the right-hander, now 28 with just 85 professional innings thrown, but he's worth dreaming on because the raw stuff is amazing. Royce Lewis: No specific injury concerns, but it seems silly not to list Lewis as a health situation to monitor. Last year he suffered a hamstring injury in spring training that cost him the first month, adding to a string of misfortune that finally seemed to let up in the second half last year. How will Lewis look physically coming off an offseason spent building on his healthy finish? Top Twins Storylines to Follow in Camp Building a bullpen from scratch Sorting out the bullpen makeup and hierarchy feels like easily the most pressing challenge ahead of Derek Shelton and Co. this spring. They've got a lot of high-leverage gaps to fill and a lot of unknowns vying for opportunities. Exhibition games in March aren't always the best basis for informing important roster decisions, but that's the task at hand. Keep a close eye on who's getting put into games and when. WBC departures create veteran leadership void The Twins opted to build around their trio of veteran All-Star talents rather than trading one or more and committing to a full-on rebuild. They see value in staying relatively competitive, as well as keeping these respected voices in the clubhouse to guide a bunch of developing players. But for much of this spring camp, all three of Ryan, Lopez and Buxton will be away, representing their countries in the World Baseball Classic. That could create some tricky dynamics as Shelton looks to establish a new clubhouse culture, but the flip side is that there will be more innings and at-bats available for other auditioning players. "The one good thing about that this spring is because of the WBC, and we’re losing three starters to the WBC, we’re going to be able to evaluate guys in more meaningful innings. And what I mean by that is, the challenge with evaluating pitchers, especially starting pitchers, in the spring is who they face. Because all of a sudden they end up piggybacking or pitching innings 4-6 and then they get guys that may be in Double-A or Triple-A because Major League players have rotated out. This spring we’re going to have the ability to evaluate because three of our top guys are pitching for their country." - Derek Shelton to media including Twins Daily on Thursday Eyes on the shortstop position There's a reason I listed backup shortstop atop the list of key position battles above. The Twins have much to figure out at this all-important spot in the post-Carlos Correa era. FanGraphs has Minnesota ranked dead last in projected WAR at SS. We've got to see something from Lee this spring, or at the very least he needs to stay healthy and keep the back problems at bay. The notion of Tristan Gray or Ryan Kreidler as Opening Day starting shortstop is scarily plausible. Will Kaelen Culpepper make a statement and accelerate his timeline? Prospects showcase what they've got On that note, the biggest reason to feel optimistic and hopeful about the Twins — even if not in the short term — is the wave of talented, highly-regarded prospects who are on the doorstep of the major leagues. Many of them will be seeing plentiful action in Twins camp, including Culpepper, Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Connor Prielipp and Gabriel Gonzalez. Up-and-comers like these offer the most compelling reason to tune into some of Minnesota's 25 spring games available to stream. It's been a long, tumultuous offseason and I find myself feeling as low on the outlook of the Minnesota Twins as I have entering any spring in a long time. Still, I'm very happy baseball is back and there will no shortage of things drawing my interest over the next month and a half leading up to Opening Day. What's catching your attention as 2026 spring training gets rolling? View the full article

There was a time when Gary Sanchez was only valuable because of his ability to hit home runs. When you hit at least 30 homers twice for the New York Yankees, your hype train will be out of control. But Sanchez, who returned to the Milwaukee Brewers as a backup catcher on a one-year, $1.75 million contract, wasn't very good with the glove. In his last two seasons with the Yankees, he had a run value of -5 in the 60-game 2020 season and -11 in 2021, per Statcast. The Fielding Bible had Sanchez with a -4 defensive runs saved in 2020, which ranked 94th among 101 catchers, and -10 in 2021, which was 114th out of 116. He turned a corner when he went to the Minnesota Twins in 2022, where he had a +2 run value and a zero DRS. Splitting 2023 with the New York Mets, who cut him at the end of May, and the San Diego Padres, he had a +4 run value and +7 DRS. So maybe it was a Yankees problem? In only 28 games at catcher with the Brewers in 2024, Sanchez was at zero run value and -1 DRS. But it was noticeable how Sanchez was no longer a liability behind the plate. His framing numbers were horrible with the Yankees, registering a -5 each of his last three seasons there (2019-2021), then were at zero, +3, and zero from 2022-24. For some reason, Sanchez regressed in 2025 with the Baltimore Orioles. He had a -5 run value, -8 DRS, and -3 framing. Sanchez was limited to 29 games with the Orioles in 2025 due to a sprained right knee and inflammation in his right wrist after signing for $8.5 million. Sanchez made $3 million with the Crew in 2024. But now the 33-year-old is back for a second tour of duty with the Brewers, who have a reputation for fixing and developing catchers. So that is perhaps what drew him to return, getting back to what made him an OK defender. As the backup to William Contreras, Sanchez won't be needed that much behind the plate. The Crew's two backups in 2025, Eric Haase and Danny Jansen, had a combined 34 starts behind the plate. Sanchez had a .231/.297/.418 slash line with the Orioles in 2025 in 101 plate appearances, with five homers and 24 RBIs. That came after a .220/.307/.392 showing with the Crew in 2024. What the Brewers do need from Sanchez, a right-handed hitter, is his ability to hit the long ball. In 2024, he hit 11 homers in 280 plate appearances over 89 games. He had 27 starts at catcher, 40 starts as the designated hitter, and one at first base. As a pinch-hitter with the Crew, Sanchez had a .294/.368/.471 slash line (5-for-17) with one homer and three RBIs. Never known for his batting average, Sanchez had similar splits against right-handed pitchers as he did against left-handers. Against righties, he has a career mark of .228/.309/.459, while posting a .214/.309/.468 line when facing lefties. He has homered in 5.5% of his plate appearances vs. righties and 6.1% vs. lefties. How much time Sanchez gets at designated hitter will depend on how much regular DH Christian Yelich plays in left field, which, at the moment, doesn't appear very often (19 games in 2024). Injuries can change that scenario, however. So Sanchez will get about two dozen or so games starting in place of Contreras, who will DH on most days he isn't catching. That will leave Sanchez to be a pinch-hitter, although manager Pat Murphy will need to be careful as to when to deploy him in case of an injury to Contreras. Sanchez would be the best power option off a bench that is likely looking like first baseman-left fielder Jake Bauers, outfielder Brandon Lockridge, and one of either Garrett Mitchell or Blake Perkins, whoever isn't starting in center. Following the trade of Andruw Monasterio in the Caleb Durbin deal with the Boston Red Sox, there is one open bench spot for an infielder. View the full article

Through no fault of his own, Miguel Amaya was one of the Cubs' most disappointing stories of 2025. In theory, he showed some very encouraging things. In reality, it's hard to deliver much of anything across 28 games and 103 plate appearances. Injuries derailed his campaign. Amaya hit the injured list with an oblique strain in late May. He took a long time to get back to the active roster and, upon his return, was shut down for the year when he viciously sprained his ankle in mid-August. Such disappointment stems not only from a lost year, but the expectations that were set forth as a result of the second half of the 2024 campaign. Two years ago, Amaya got off to a brutal start. His first-half wRC+ was 59, while he hit just .211 and reached base at a paltry .266 clip. Somewhat famously, Amaya revamped his approach and his mechanics almost entirely. That yielded immediate results: a 112 wRC+, a .271 average, and a .316 OBP after the All-Star break. His slug came along with everything else; his slugging average leapt from .288 in that first half to .444 in the second. There was a great deal more elevated contact, and the overall quality of the contact improved. Given the small sample, though, the question persisted about whether the improvements Amaya demonstrated were sustainable. It turns out, they were, or at least might have been. Amaya's first 100 plate appearances bore a .280/.313/.505 line and a 125 wRC+. The catcher who was once considered an heir apparent to Willson Contreras behind the plate at Wrigley finally looked ready to do so, though he benefited from being in a true timeshare with Carson Kelly even while he was in the lineup. Amaya and Kelly are set to resume their duties as the team's catching tandem. The latter, however, was able to take advantage of Amaya's absence. Kelly (115 wRC+) turned in his first above-average offensive season since 2021, posting the highest average of his career (.249) and his best OBP (.333) and slugging (.428) since that 2021 campaign. Such an output from a position where offense is a secondary concern could impact the timeshare early in 2026. The assumption is that the total body of work will earn Kelly an early edge in playing time, despite the fact that he didn't sustain the numbers posted in a torrid April. It's a sentiment shared by FanGraphs & Baseball Prospectus, as each have Kelly at 55 percent of the playing time behind the plate and Amaya for 40 percent. FanGraphs threw each another 4 percent of the reps as the designated hitter, while BP offered percent for Kelly and none for Amaya in that role. Either way, the bigger piece of the work goes to Kelly. That feels somewhat logical. Kelly's coming off a fine season, even if the splits reveal that it was, perhaps, a career year. Amaya is off a pair of long-term injuries. For a couple of reasons, though, that might not turn out to be the case. Kelly is a free agent at season's end. Amaya is not under team control until 2030. Unless you believe in Moisés Ballesteros behind the plate, the Cubs don't have a long-term plan at the spot beyond Amaya. Craig Counsell and his staff would love to see Amaya win more playing time than third parties project in 2026. The offensive difference between the two players seems marginal. If the second half of 2024 and early 2025 are to be believed, Amaya may offer more consistency in the quality of contact. Kelly, meanwhile, has a more patient approach at the plate that begets a more consistent on-base presence. Both bring something to the context of the Cubs' lineup. The opportunity for Amaya to gain some traction in establishing himself as a viable option down the line likely lies in the glove work. The first thing we tend to look at with catchers is their ability to frame. Immediately, there's an advantage there, in Amaya's direction: Amaya grades as a better overall framer than Kelly over the last three seasons. Obviously, the rate of called strikes goes down the farther a pitch gets from the zone. But there's also an interesting quality to Amaya's game that Kelly lacks: Kelly can grab a strike that is, technically, already a strike more effectively than Amaya can. Amaya, however, is more adept at grabbing a few extra strikes that fail to hit the zone. That's the essence of framing, in a broad sense. The new ABS system could have a bearing on this, but the understanding has been that ABS will help to make good framers better and bad framers worse. The Cubs have a pair of average framers, but if we're to believe in that sentiment on a spectrum, it could play to Amaya's advantage. It's an advantage that Amaya carries into blocking, where his Blocks Above Average over the last three years totals 11 to Kelly's seven. Where Amaya does start to cede some ground, however, is in controlling the run game. Kelly not only boasts faster pop times, but features a Caught Stealing Above Average of 13 in that span, to Amaya's -4. Ultimately, though, this leads to a trend similar to the offensive side, where each does something well that compensates for the other's shortcomings. Each half of the Cubs' duo behind the plate complements the other. That just doesn't answer the question of how Amaya emerges as a long-term starter out of his time working with Kelly. The easy answer is that he might not have to. Kelly's an impending free agent. There may be an organic changing-of-the-guard at the end of 2026 that leads to Amaya's graduation into the bulk of the playing time, just by staying the course. In a logistical sense, that concept of "staying the course" might be the ticket for Amaya to start to shift the playing time distribution early. It's easy to forget about Kelly's struggles for the better part of last year's second half. It's easier still to forget what Amaya turned in on the stat sheet prior to his oblique injury. Factor in the areas where Amaya has the defensive advantages, and it isn't difficult to imagine a world where his own skill set does the work. Last year's volume for Kelly may play to his advantage early (as evidenced by the projections liking him for more playing time in 2026), but there's very much a path for Amaya to do the things he does well in a small sample early on, forcing his way into a more even distribution as it wears on. View the full article